Wheel



turn carries a pneumatic tire.

Reissued Oct. 14, 1941 WHEEL \Villiam 0. Bechman and Rudolph A. Holmberg, Chicago, Ill., assignors to International Harvester Company, a corporation of New Jersey Original No. 2,200,766, dated May 14, 1940, Serial No. 270,615, April 28, 1939.

Application for reissue June 26, 1940, Serial No. 342,588

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a wheel of the type adapted to carry a demountable rim and more particularly to an improved rim clamping means for the wheel.

Various types of wheels are provided in which the peripheral portion is of uniform diameter and is adapted to carry a demountable rim which in In order to mount the rim securely on the Wheel, a plurality of pairs of rim clamps or lugs must be provided, respective clamps of each pair being secured in alinement at opposite sides of the wheel. In the more simple wheel types, each pair of clamps is held in place by a single bolt. Disadvantages are found in this construction, however, in that removal of one of the clamps of a pair necessarily results in displacement or removal of its member clamp. The total result is that in mounting and demounting the rim a considerable number of parts must be handled.

In other instances, another wheel type is formed with integral lug portions at one face of the wheel serving to engage one side of the rim. In this type of construction, the rim may be re-, moved from only one side of the Wheel; via, from that side to which the removable clamps are secured.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide an improved rim clamping means for a wheel having a demountable tire-carrying rim thereon in which the rim may be removed from either side with a minimum of time and effort.

An important object is to provide the rim clamping means in the form of clamps or lugs which are separate from the wheel, yet one of which may be normally fixed to the wheel while the other is removable from the wheel independently of the other to permit removal of the rim.

Another important object is to provide a rim clamping means in which a pair of rim clamps may be held by the same securing means.

Another object, specifically, is to provide a pair of rim clamps which may be securely held in place on the wheel by a single bolt, in which a nut is carried by the bolt for holding one of the clamps normally fixed with respect to the wheel and in which the other clamp is adapted to be carried by the bolt outside the nut in rim-engaging position.

Another object is to provide one of the clamps with a recessed portion for accommodating the nut that holds the other clamp in position.

Still another object to provide a pair of clamps which are identical in form and which maybe readily formed from the same stock and which, when finally shaped, serve to accommodate certain portions of the securing means, and which may be disposed in reversed positions on the wheel to support the tire-carrying rim.

Briefly and specifically, these and other important objects are achieved in one preferred form of the invention wherein the improved clamping means is utilized in conjunction with a wheel having a peripheral portion of uniform diameter. The improved meansmay be just as advantageously used in conjunction with wheels of the spoke-end type. The clamps are substantially identical and are adapted to be carried respectively at opposite faces of the wheel in reversed positions with the tire-carrying rim secured therebetween. Each of the clamps has a recessed portion formed by an extending portion, the recessed portion of one clamp serving to accommodate the head of a bolt which is passed through the wheel and the clamps for securing the same together, the recess in the other clamp accommodating a nut carried by the bolt against a wheel face to secure the opposite clamp in po sition independently of the other clamp. The extending portion on the first clamp serves to engage one side of the tire-carrying rim and the corresponding portion on the other clamp serves as a fulcrum to engage the opposite wheel face for spacing the clamp from the rim to permit rocking of the clamp with respect to the wheel so that a clamping action may be secured against the rim. The clamps being thus disposed on the wheel in reversed position, a second nut is threaded on the end of the bolt for securing the latter clamp to the wheel. This arrangement of clamps or lugs permits removal of the rim from the wheel by the simple procedure of removing the lugs at one side which are removable independently of the lugs or clamps at the other side.

A more complete understanding of the objects and desirable features of the invention may be had from the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which:

Figures 1 and 2 are, respectively, a vertical sectional view and an elevational view of the improved rim clamping means shown in conjunction with a wheel and rim;

Figure 3 is a sectional View similar to Figure 1, showing the manner in which one clamp may be removed independently of the other; and,

Figure 4 is a perspective View of one of the clamps or lugs.

In the preferred form of the invention illustrated, a Wheel of the type having a periphery of uniform diameter is shown at I 0, the wheel having opposite faces I I and I2. The peripheral portion of the wheel is provided at each of the faces I I and I2 with lug or clamp receiving seats I3 and I4, respectively. In the event that a wheel of the spoke-end type is utilized, the spoke ends, as is well known to those skilled in the art, serve to provide the lug-receiving seats corresponding to the seats I3 and I4 herein.

While the drawing illustrates only one improved clamping means, it will be understood that the wheel is provided with a plurality of the same circumferentially spaced about the wheel. Each clamping means consists of a pair of identical clamping members or lugs I5 formed with central openings I5. When the members are disposed in position on the wheel, the openings I6 are alined with an opening I'I formed in the wheel near its periphery and a bolt I 8 is passed through these openings, the bolt serving as part of the novel securing means and having a head IQ which engages one of the lugs or clamps I5.

The lugs I5 are substantially identical and may be easily and readily formed from a length of the same stock and are so formed as to be reversible in position from one side of the wheel to the other. Each lug includes a body portion which at one side has a fiat face or seating portion 20, which is adapted to seat against the wheel in one position of the lug, and at the other side a smaller flat face 2I. The face 2I comprises the inner portion of a recessed part of the lug which is formed by an extending fulcrum portion 22 at one side and a smaller extending portion 23 at the other side. The extending portion 22 is provided at its edge adjacent the flat face with a curved surface 24 which serves in one position of the lug to engage the center well of a tirecarrying rim 25, as best shown in Figure 1. The portion 22 is provided with a seating surface or edge 22a which engages the right-hand wheel seat I4 when the lug is in the position at the right, as shown in Figure 1. The surface could "be flat if desired. The extending portion 23 is formed along its edge with a curved surface 25 which serves in a reversed position of the lug to engage the center well of the rim 25. The surface could likewise be flat, if desired.

As best shown in Figure 1, one of the lugs I 5 is arranged on the wheel II) with its fiat face or seating portion 20 engaging the wheel by fitting the lug seat I3, the recess formed by the portions 2|, 22, and 23 accommodating the head IQ of the bolt I8. The other lug I5 is arranged at the other side of the wheel in a reversed position, with the extending fulcrum portion 22 having its edge 22a seating against the lug seat I4 and engaging the side of the wheel at the wheel face I2. The curved surface 26 on the portion 23 engages the other side of the center well of the tire-carrying rim 25. A nut 21 is carried by the bolt I8 and abuts the face of the Wheel at the lug seat I4, thus securely holding the clamp I5 at the wheel face I I securely in position or normally fixed independently of the clamp I5 at the other wheel face I2. The recess formed in the latter lug accommodates the nut 21 and because of the extended portion 22, which serves as a fulcrum or pivot for the lug, the lug is spaced from the wheel at the seat I4. By means of the cooperation between the extended fulcrum portion 2 2 of this latter lug or clamp and the lower portion of the seat l4, the lug may pivot or rock with respect to the wheel and a proper clamping action is obtained by which the rim 25 is securely carried on the wheel between the lugs I5. A second nut 28 is threaded on the bolt I8 outside the lug I5 at the wheel face I2 and serves to removabl'y secure the lug or clamp in position independently of the other lug I5. The manner of removing one lug from the wheel independently of the other is clearly illustrated in Figure 3.

By means of the improved clamping means, the rim. 25 is adapted to be mounted on and demounted from the wheel quickly and easily and with the handling of a minimum number of parts. Since one lug of each pair is securely held in position on the wheel, it is necessary only to remove the other lug of a pair in order to remove the rim from the wheel. It is not necessary, in removing the tire freely from the wheel, to remove all lugs at one side; removing some and loosening others will permit free removal of the tire. This improvement is especially important in wheels of the type utilized in agricultural tractors having adjustable treads in which it is often necessary and desirable to change the positions of the wheels on the tractor axles. The wheel having the most advantages for this purpose is a wheel of the convex type, that is, wherein the plane of the rim-carrying portion is axially off-set with respect to the plane of the hub. As is well known to those skilled in the art, this type of wheel may be reversed on the axle, thus increasing the number of tread positions obtainable. The improved rim clamping means plays an important part in the use of this type of wheel, since both lugs may be removed from the wheel and remounted thereon in a manner permitting removal of the rim from the wheel face opposite to that illustrated in the drawing. Since the lugs are identical, it is not necessary that care be taken as to the manner of remounting them in position. This feature is also important in replacing the lugs or clamps, should they become broken or lost. Of particularly great importance is the fact that since the lugs are identical, they may be readily and economically manufactured from lengths of the same stock by a simple shearing operation.

Only a preferred form of the rim clamping means constituting the subject-matter of the present invention has been illustrated but it will be appreciated that numerous modifications and alterations may be made in the form and use thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in theappend'ed claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A tire and wheel assembly comprising a wheel, a demountable rim carried thereon, a rimsupporting clamp member disposed at one side of the wheel to engage one side of the rim, a bolt passed through the clamp member and-the wheel, a nut on the bolt at the other side of the wheel for securing the clamp and bolt, and a second clamp member at the other side of the wheel engaging the other side of the rim, said clamp being secured in position by the aforesaid bolt and being formed with a recess accommodating the aforesaid nut.

2. A rim clamping means for a wheel assembly including a wheel and a demountable rim, comprising a rim-supporting clamp disposed 'at one side of the wheel to engage one side of the rim, said clamp having a recess formed therein facing away from the plane of the wheel, a bolt passed through said clamp. and the wheel and having a head accommodated by said recess, a nut at the other side of the wheel securing the bolt and clamp, and an identical rim-supporting clamp secured by the aforesaid bolt at the other side of the wheel and engaging the other side of the rim, said clamp being reversed in position with respect to the first clamp, its recess accommodating the aforesaid nut.

3. A rim clamping means for a wheel assembly including a wheel and a demountable rim, comprising a pair of identical rim-supporting clamp members disposed in reversed positions respectively at opposite sides of the wheel and engaging opposite sides of the rim, a single securing bolt passed through the clamps and wheel, each clamp including an extending portion, on one clamp serving to support the rim, and on the other clamp serving to space a portion of said clamp from the wheel, a nut carried on the bolt within the space for securing one clamp to the wheel independently of the other, and a second nut carried on the bolt for securing the other clamp in position.

.4. A rim clamping means for a wheel assembly including a wheel and a demountable rim, comprising a pair of identical rim-supporting clamp members disposed in reversed positions respectively at opposite sides of the wheel and engaging opposite sides of the rim, a headed bolt passed through the clamps and the wheel, each clamp being formed with a recess bounded by an extending portion, the recess in one clamp accommodating the bolt head and the extending por-' tion engaging the rim, a nut carried on the bolt between the wheel and the other clamp for securing the first clamp to the wheel, the recess in said other clamp accommodating said nut and the extending portion engaging the wheel for spacing a portion of the clamp from the Wheel, and a second nut on the bolt securing said clamp in position independently of the other.

5. A wheel assembly including a wheel, a demountable rim encircling the wheel, and a pair of substantially identical rim-supporting clamp members disposed in reversed positions respectively at opposite sides of the wheel and engaging opposite sides of the rim, each clamp including an extending portion, said portion on one clamp serving to support the rim, and the identical portion on the other clamp engaging the wheel and serving to space a portion of said clamp from the wheel, and securing means for securing the clamps to the wheel.

6. A wheel assembly including a wheel, a demountable rim encircling the wheel, and a pair of substantially identical rim-supporting clamps disposed in reversed positions respectively at opposite sides of the wheel and engaging opposite sides of the rim, each clamp being formed with an angularly related extension portion, each clamp further including a seating face, one clamp being disposed with its seating face engaging the wheel substantially solidly with a portion of the clamp engaging the proximate side of the rim, the other clamp being disposed at the other side of the wheel with its extension portion toward and engaging the wheel to space a portion of that clamp from the Wheel, said extension portion serving as a fulcrum to mount that clamp rockably on the wheel with a portion of said clamp in engagement with the proximate side of the rim, and securing means for securing the clamps to the wheel, said means serving to rock the aforesaid clamp to clamp the rim.

WILLIAM O. BECHMAN. RUDOLPH A. HOLMBERG. 

